Ben Foden injury: Northampton Saints and England full-back ruled out for the rest of the season to put World Cup hopes in doubt

Foden has suffered a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament and requires surgery that will end his season prematurely

Ben Foden is helped off the field after suffering a knee injury in the 20-9 win over Ospreys (Getty Images)

Ben Foden’s hopes of an England recall in the Six Nations squad announced tomorrow have been dashed after it was confirmed that the Northampton Saints full-back will miss the rest of the season due to a serious knee injury.

Foden has spoken openly over the last few months of his desire to usurp Harlequins full-back Mike Brown and reclaim the No 15 shirt, but he was forced off during Sunday’s European Champions Cup victory over Ospreys and will require surgery on a ruptured left anterior cruciate ligament.

Foden took to his official Twitter account to thank those who have sent him messages of support, and admitted that the injury blow was a “hard pill to take.”

Foden posted: “Thanks for the support, not gonna lie its a hard pill to swallow. I guess it's the nature of the beast #gutted #shouldhavekickedit #onwards.”

The timescale on the injury means that his season is effectively over, and puts his World Cup hopes in serious doubt with the tournament set to begin in September this year. The first game of the tournament – England’s match against Fiji – is scheduled for the 18 September, meaning Foden has just short of eight months to recover from the surgery.

Foden's last Test appearance for England came against the All Blacks in November 2013 (GETTY IMAGES)

Foden last wore the England shirt in the 2013 autumn internationals against the All Blacks, although he also played in the midweek fixture against New Zealand Super Rugby side Crusaders during the 2014 summer tour.

Arsenal winger Theo Walcott suffered a similar injury last year that kept him sidelined for nearly a year, though the timescale on these type of injuries vary from case to case.